Series Preview: Angels vs. Padres (8/13-8/15)

Angels vs. Padres: The 411

The bats are back in action just in time for a trip down the 5! Despite dropping two of three to the Oakland Athletics, the Angels (59-60) displayed a true sense of resilliancy Sunday. Stumbling in the early going, the Halos put together a string of runs late fueled by Francisco Arcia and Shohei Ohtani to pull the game within reach and got the offense back in the swing of things. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres (48-72) have been streaking themselves, winning five of their last seven against a couple division leaders. The Halos will need to keep the offense rolling in order to get back on the right track and the Padres are susceptible to a big attack. San Diego is 17-35 in their last 52 against AL West teams.

Angels vs. Padres: The One to Watch

It has been a bit of a rough going for Kaleb Cowart since joining the Angels lineup on a daily basis at the end of July (5-for-33 in last 11 games), but San Diego proves to be an opportunity for the 26-year-old to get back on track. With Andrelton Simmons being a late scratch from Sunday's game and his status unknown heading down the coast, Cowart will continue to play a vital role in the infield and called upon to produce more at the plate. Squaring off against two lefty starters will provide Cowart the opportunity to tack on some much-needed experience as he has only registered 11 at-bats against southpaws this season.